Lake Moogerah: Swimming, Camping, Fishing and the Dam Wall Walk

Lake Moogerah is a Seqwater dam lake in the Scenic Rim, about 95 km from the Brisbane CBD, with a marked swimming area, free BBQs, boating, fishing, camping and a walk across the dam wall. It sits right beside Moogerah Peaks National Park, so a picnic or a swim can end with the start of the Mount Edwards trail.

The dam was completed in 1961 on Reynolds Creek, and its day-use parks are open every day. Fred Haigh Park, beside the dam wall, is the picnic park. A G Muller Park, off Muller Park Road, has the swimming area and the boat ramps.

Fred Haigh Park: picnics, free BBQs and the playground

Fred Haigh Park, off Moogerah Connection Road, is the easy first stop. It has picnic tables, shelters, free BBQs and a playground, and the lake has public toilets.

It is also where the walk across the dam wall starts, so it works for a relaxed family half day: lunch on the BBQs, a wander over the wall, then a swim at the other park if the weather is warm.

Walking across the Moogerah Dam wall

From Fred Haigh Park you can walk across the dam wall. It is a concrete arch 219 m long and 38 m high, and turtles can often be seen in the water below.

The walking trail carries on over the wall into Moogerah Peaks National Park, and the Mount Edwards trail starts on the far side. Visit Scenic Rim says the park has tracks from short strolls to rugged climbs to the summits of Mount Edwards and Mount Greville, so match the track to your fitness. Queensland Parks manages the national park, so check its Moogerah Peaks page for track details, conditions and alerts before you set out.

Can you swim at Lake Moogerah?

Yes, but only in the designated swimming area at A G Muller Park, off Muller Park Road. The area is marked with buoys, and it is open the same hours as the rest of the lake. There are no lifeguards on duty at Seqwater lakes.

Seqwater’s safety advice is to know where your children are at all times, wear a lifejacket, never dive where you cannot see the bottom (still water can hide submerged obstacles and uneven ground) and do not swim after drinking alcohol. Watch for snakes, and insect bites and stings, in the bush around the lake.

Blue-green algae can bloom in lakes and can harm your health if you swim, boat or fish, so check the current levels on Seqwater’s blue-green algae page before you go.

Boating, water skiing and kayaking

Both motorised and non-motorised boats are allowed on the lake, and so are water skiing, jet skiing, wakeboarding and tubing. You can also kayak, canoe, row, sail and stand-up paddle.

Launch only from the designated points: there are two boat ramps at A G Muller Park. Do not launch, retrieve or beach a boat on the land around the lake, because most of it is private property. A 6-knot speed limit applies in the heavily timbered southern arms of the lake, and overnight stays on the water are not allowed.

For skiing and tubing the driver must be licensed, the boat must be safe and capable of towing, there must be at least one responsible observer on board and you need the right safety equipment. Boating rules come from Maritime Safety Queensland, and it helps to clean and dry your boat and gear so weeds like water hyacinth and salvinia do not spread between lakes.

Fishing at Lake Moogerah

You need a Stocked Impoundment Permit before you fish. Buy it from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (the department also sets the fishing rules). You can fish from a boat, a paddle craft or the shoreline of the designated recreation areas, but not from private land around the lake.

The lake is known for Australian bass, golden perch, silver perch and Mary River cod. Take all line and hooks home or put them in a bin so wildlife is not harmed. New to fishing? Read the Beginner’s Guide to Fishing.

Camping at Lake Moogerah

You can camp beside the lake, but only in the designated camping areas. The campgrounds are run by their own operators, not by Seqwater, so book and ask questions with them directly. Caravan, camper trailer, campervan and tent sites are available.

One of them is the council-run Lake Moogerah Caravan Park, listed on Scenic Rim Regional Council’s campgrounds page (council phone 07 5540 5111). Camping with children? The camping with kids guide has activity ideas and packing tips.

Is Lake Moogerah dog friendly?

Only in some areas. Dogs are allowed on a leash at Fred Haigh Park and the Lower Recreation Area, and must stay on the leash at all times. Do not let your dog into the lake, onto the foreshore or onto a boat ramp, because the lake is a drinking water supply, and pick up after it using the bins provided.

Seqwater asks visitors to leave pets at home everywhere else around the lake, because dogs can disturb native wildlife.

Planning your visit

• How long: a few hours for a picnic, a swim and the dam wall walk; a full day if you are boating; a weekend if you camp.
• Best time: the warmer months for swimming. From September to April the gates open at 5:30 am, so you can make an early start.
• Cost: free entry and free BBQs. A fishing permit and camping cost extra.
• What to bring: drinking water, sunscreen, a hat, lifejackets, insect repellent and your own food. If you walk into the national park, carry water, a first aid kit and a snake bite kit.
• Before you go: Seqwater’s public safety app shows dam release alerts, lake closures and weather alerts.
• Accessibility: no wheelchair or pram access details are published, so ring Seqwater on 1300 737 928 if you need to be sure.

Getting there and parking

By car, Lake Moogerah is about 95 km by road from the Brisbane CBD, about 1 hour 25 minutes, and about an hour from Ipswich. Take the Ipswich Motorway, which becomes the Cunningham Highway, turn left at Fassifern onto Boonah Fassifern Road, then right onto Lake Moogerah Road. The lake’s street address is 144 Moogerah Connection Road, Moogerah Qld 4309.

Fred Haigh Park is off Moogerah Connection Road, and A G Muller Park (swimming area, boat ramps and the caravan park) is off Muller Park Road. Moogerah is a drive: no bus or train service to the lake is listed, so use the Translink Journey Planner or call 13 12 30 if you want to check.

More detail is in Seqwater’s Lake Moogerah recreation guide (a map of the two parks) and on the Seqwater Moogerah Dam page. Details can change, so check before you go.

Nearby

• Hinze Dam – another Seqwater dam with a walk along the dam wall and free BBQs, but no swimming, in the Gold Coast hinterland.
• Lake Wivenhoe – a much bigger dam lake north-west of Brisbane.
• Lamington National Park – rainforest walks and waterfalls in the Scenic Rim.
• Springbrook National Park – waterfalls and lookouts in the Gold Coast hinterland if you are making a weekend of it.

Browse more lakes and rivers or more of the Scenic Rim.

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